Patrick Lyoya's death at the hands of Grand Rapids police spark protests

Patrick Lyoya’s Police Shooting Death Sparks Protest And Accountability Demands

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BOSSIP has been covering the shooting death of 26-year-old Congolese immigrant Patrick Lyoya and the subsequent aftermath for the past week and with each day the story is beginning to make headway in the national media. The intensity of the calls for justice has increased exponentially since the Grand Rapids Police Department released an excruciatingly detailed video of Lyoya being shot in the back of the head while he was face down with the yet-to-be-identified officer kneeling on his back.

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We have watched the video and it is beyond disturbing and acutely infuriating. Despite the wrestling match that Lyoya got into with the officer, at no point was the officer in mortal danger. If this was a bar fight and one party shot the other in the back of the head, that person would be arrested, charged with murder, and likely held without bail. Instead, this cop is being protected and paid.

Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty

Rev. Al Sharpton will be delivering the eulogy at Patrick’s funeral this Friday morning.

According to MLive, law professors like the University of Pittsburgh’s David A. Harris are pointing out what many people have said over the years about police officer’s reckless decisions to engage a suspected criminal.

“You have their vehicle right there,” Harris said, noting the officer could have identified Lyoya by searching the vehicle identification number.

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Protests are ongoing and the people are not going to let up. Patrick’s mother, Dorcas Lyoya, spoke to the Detroit Free Press last week about why she sought asylum from the Congo in America and it only adds another level of heartbreak to a story that has no shortage of it…